Smoking to Vaping and back to Cigs - Flavour fatigue?

Pack a day smoker for the last 20 years.
Was in good health otherwise but knew that my smoking habit won't let that be for long.

Picked up vaping on a UK trip in June '17 and started hating the smell of stinkies for at least a couple of months.
Loved the experience so much that I almost became a vaping evangelist annoying the c*** out of other smoker buddies to convince them to switch. Spent over $1000 equivalent in INR buying gear and liquids in my new found joy!
Tried a lot of flavors till I finally settled on Strawberry cheesecake variants and vaped 6mg of said flavour variants for 2.5 months.

Come August, I came down with a really nasty bout of flu and fever that lasted a week .. Whatever it was, it was probably a bit more serious infection than a regular viral as I have decent immunity and seasonal flu either passes me by or lasts a day or two at most.
During the course , I developed a mild dislike for vapes so slowly flipped back to stinkies as what I felt was a stop gap measure.

Unfortunately, post recovery, when trying to switch back to vaping, I realized I cannot stand the smell/feel/taste of my erstwhile favorite liquids at all! Every single liquid I tried tasted awful and chemical-ish.
I also unfortunately lost one of my (much loved) two dogs to a sudden onset carcinoma in November so that did not help my cause either.

Starting Jan '18, I intermittently tried all sorts of bakery/dessert flavours but they all kept tasting absolutely awful .

Last week, I ordered some nicotine salt based base and a bunch of TFA/FA/INW flavours to try see if DIY and the new salt bases work for me and I seem to be getting somewhere (was on regular 6 mg earlier)

I tried some mint/menthol mixes with 24mg/ml Nic salts on 2 ohm coil RDAs and realized that the combo seems to work ( at last partially in that it enabled me cut down my cig cravings to 3-4 a day vs a pack)
Over the last two days, I have been experimenting with rotating flavours including some simple pineapple+dash of cigar / dragonfruit-strawberry etc.
I still cannot seem to stand anything with cheesecake/graham crust (actually detesting them) or creams (mild dislike)
I have also ordered a suorin drop and air as I have heard they work better for salt based liquids and don't mind ordering more gear if that works.
My intent is to cut down on the stinkies progressively to 0 over the next week or two and would love to go back to the point I used to actively dislike even the slightest hint of cigarette smoke.

Any thoughts/suggestions on what I can/should do next to avoid my erstwhile flavour fatigue (?) would be welcome. I cannot emphasize how important it is for me to quit cigarettes!

It’s so strange how we can love the same old taste of a cig for years on end, yet I can’t vape more than a few tanks of the same liquid before I get absolutely sick of it and need to change. The only thing I can think of is just to just keep trying new flavors? It can be an expensive habit! But I bought and vaped a LOT of bottles before I found some I really enjoyed. Lately I’ve been enjoying a lot of tea flavors, which is a bit different than your average fruit/dessert/cream style stuff. Maybe give it a try? Alice in Vapeland has some really unique natural tasting liquids, including my current favorite, a green tea with passion fruit. I’ve been interested in giving the nic salts a try. Whats the difference?
Good Luck!

It’s so strange how we can love the same old taste of a cig for years on end, yet I can’t vape more than a few tanks of the same liquid before I get absolutely sick of it and need to change. The only thing I can think of is just to just keep trying new flavors? It can be an expensive habit! But I bought and vaped a LOT of bottles before I found some I really enjoyed. Lately I’ve been enjoying a lot of tea flavors, which is a bit different than your average fruit/dessert/cream style stuff. Maybe give it a try? Alice in Vapeland has some really unique natural tasting liquids, including my current favorite, a green tea with passion fruit. I’ve been interested in giving the nic salts a try. Whats the difference?
Good Luck!

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So True..
Been rotating some simple Mango and Strawberry mints and they have been working so far

As for the nic salts , they have a slightly different chemical composition vs the regular freebase nicotine used in most liquids.
From an end users perspective, it allows for significantly greater nicotine % without the associated throat hit
I used to use 6mg freebase nicotine as anything over that would make me cought
With the salt base, I am currently using 24mg (2.4%) nicotine in my liquids which allows me to use really small/low powered devices and lesser amount of vaping to fix the nic urge

Pack a day smoker for the last 20 years.
Was in good health otherwise but knew that my smoking habit won't let that be for long.

Picked up vaping on a UK trip in June '17 and started hating the smell of stinkies for at least a couple of months.
Loved the experience so much that I almost became a vaping evangelist annoying the c*** out of other smoker buddies to convince them to switch. Spent over $1000 equivalent in INR buying gear and liquids in my new found joy!
Tried a lot of flavors till I finally settled on Strawberry cheesecake variants and vaped 6mg of said flavour variants for 2.5 months.

Come August, I came down with a really nasty bout of flu and fever that lasted a week .. Whatever it was, it was probably a bit more serious infection than a regular viral as I have decent immunity and seasonal flu either passes me by or lasts a day or two at most.
During the course , I developed a mild dislike for vapes so slowly flipped back to stinkies as what I felt was a stop gap measure.

Unfortunately, post recovery, when trying to switch back to vaping, I realized I cannot stand the smell/feel/taste of my erstwhile favorite liquids at all! Every single liquid I tried tasted awful and chemical-ish.
I also unfortunately lost one of my (much loved) two dogs to a sudden onset carcinoma in November so that did not help my cause either.

Starting Jan '18, I intermittently tried all sorts of bakery/dessert flavours but they all kept tasting absolutely awful .

Last week, I ordered some nicotine salt based base and a bunch of TFA/FA/INW flavours to try see if DIY and the new salt bases work for me and I seem to be getting somewhere (was on regular 6 mg earlier)

I tried some mint/menthol mixes with 24mg/ml Nic salts on 2 ohm coil RDAs and realized that the combo seems to work ( at last partially in that it enabled me cut down my cig cravings to 3-4 a day vs a pack)
Over the last two days, I have been experimenting with rotating flavours including some simple pineapple+dash of cigar / dragonfruit-strawberry etc.
I still cannot seem to stand anything with cheesecake/graham crust (actually detesting them) or creams (mild dislike)
I have also ordered a suorin drop and air as I have heard they work better for salt based liquids and don't mind ordering more gear if that works.
My intent is to cut down on the stinkies progressively to 0 over the next week or two and would love to go back to the point I used to actively dislike even the slightest hint of cigarette smoke.

Any thoughts/suggestions on what I can/should do next to avoid my erstwhile flavour fatigue (?) would be welcome. I cannot emphasize how important it is for me to quit cigarettes!

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Very sorry to hear about your Dog . Mine lasted 17 years and 9 months .(Not the Avatar) It is never easy. I had smoked for 45 years and (luckily) got asthma and COPD (only mild) and gave the cancer sticks away for 3 years before taking up vaping while trying to get my partner off (cigs) I am only on 3mg but have had a hit and miss with the vapes I intend to go fully DIY and do my own coils @ above ohm with mainly tobacco flavor as this seems to be the best to reproduce the old flavors I was used to as the limited flavors that I tried with a sub-ohm made me cough and the flavor stuck in my mouth was repulsive. Got my first dose of flu in about 20 years after having vaccination and everything tasted like paper for 2 weeks. I have not been able to give you any advise but just wanted to say Hi to a fellow Dog lover.

Very sorry to hear about your Dog . Mine lasted 17 years and 9 months .(Not the Avatar) It is never easy. I had smoked for 45 years and (luckily) got asthma and COPD (only mild) and gave the cancer sticks away for 3 years before taking up vaping while trying to get my partner off (cigs) I am only on 3mg but have had a hit and miss with the vapes I intend to go fully DIY and do my own coils @ above ohm with mainly tobacco flavor as this seems to be the best to reproduce the old flavors I was used to as the limited flavors that I tried with a sub-ohm made me cough and the flavor stuck in my mouth was repulsive. Got my first dose of flu in about 20 years after having vaccination and everything tasted like paper for 2 weeks. I have not been able to give you any advise but just wanted to say Hi to a fellow Dog lover.

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Welcome to VU...I too love dogs...had a weiner dog for 18 years, was like losing a child.

Very sorry to hear about your Dog . Mine lasted 17 years and 9 months .(Not the Avatar) It is never easy. I had smoked for 45 years and (luckily) got asthma and COPD (only mild) and gave the cancer sticks away for 3 years before taking up vaping while trying to get my partner off (cigs) I am only on 3mg but have had a hit and miss with the vapes I intend to go fully DIY and do my own coils @ above ohm with mainly tobacco flavor as this seems to be the best to reproduce the old flavors I was used to as the limited flavors that I tried with a sub-ohm made me cough and the flavor stuck in my mouth was repulsive. Got my first dose of flu in about 20 years after having vaccination and everything tasted like paper for 2 weeks. I have not been able to give you any advise but just wanted to say Hi to a fellow Dog lover.

Welcome to VU...I too love dogs...had a weiner dog for 18 years, was like losing a child.

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Thanks guys. It's been a little over 4 months now and I still can't get over the fact that he is not around any more. (the black fella in my DP). I know everyone thinks the world of their dog but he was very special in more ways than one..
I know exactly what you mean when you say it feels like losing a child. The fact that he was just 4 years old makes the loss even worse.

As for your vaping problem, I would suggest you give Nicotine salts at around 24 mg coupled with a low powered device a try.
Although it has only been a little over a week, it appears (at least to me) that the combination of low powered devices with high nic concentration may just be what most smokers need to kick it for good

These smaller devices I have been trying (icare2 / Aspire Breeze) produce just about enough vape that mimics a cigarette, the flavors are subtle yet the nicotine kick is stronger (thanks to the newer nic salt formulations that allow for a much higher nic strength without any throat hit)

I tried a few of my old big mods / tanks with 6mg liquid yesterday and felt that the whole experience was too overwhelming - like an overdose of vapor and flavors

Hi Kathy." Is Vaping good or bad for your health" I am also new to this forum and have been vaping for about 12 months . The simple answer is yes and no . It would depend on your situation. If you are a smoker who is addicted to cigarettes then it would be good to be able to cut down on the amount of chemicals you consume by taking up vaping if you have not had any success going "cold turkey" ,meaning just stopping with no substitutes . If you don't smoke don't start and I would include vaping. I have heard that the use of nicotine is beneficial for some medical conditions but not in the form of cigarette burning as this far out ways any benefit.. I do not have any medical training so I will not mention what I think those conditions may be.